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REMINISCENCES 



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Hast ^m^> Beatf) anil JJittrfal 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 



CHARLES C. JONES, Jr. 



,:^J^- 




ALBANY, N. Y. : 

JOEL M U N S E L E , 

1870. 



EI 



L 5 J 



1 




TJnirersity "PiiTil-iglrhia Compaity-. 



TO 

GEKERAL ROBERT E. LEE, 

©DCs CClosinQ ®)baptcr m tf)e Slltc of Jji's jFati)er 

IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, 



NOTE 



To Mr. P. M. Nightingale of Georgia, — a grandson 
of General Nathaniel Greene, — who was an eye-witness 
of the final scenes in the life of General Henry Lee 
and present at his death, I am largely indebted for 
the fjicts contained in the following narrative. 

New YoiiK City, 
May lOth, 1870. 



REMINISCENCES 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 




Y the "treaty of amity, settle- 
ment and limits" concluded in 
1819, Spain ceded Florida to the 
United States. An exchange of flags under 
this treaty did not take place, however, un- 
til the 17th of June, 1821, when General 
Jackson was appointed governor of Florida, 
with ample legislative, judicial and execu- 
tive powers. The disputes which had for 
some time existed with regard to Florida, 
and the repeated violations of the revenue 

7 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

laws rendered a concentration of forces in 
the neighborhood of Fernandina a matter of 
military necessity on the part of the United 
States. Accordingly, at the period of Gene- 
ral Henry Lee's visit to Dungeness, an Ame- 
rican fleet was lying in Cumberland sound 
whose instructions were to preserve the rights 
of commerce in that vicinity, cooperate with 
the land forces, whenever practicable, in 
checking the lawlessness and preventing the 
depredations of the Seminoles, and, when 
pending negotiations were consummated, to 
assist in taking formal possession of Florida 
in the name of the United States. That 
fleet consisted of 

the frigate John Adams, — Commodore 
Henley ; 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

the brig Saranac, — Captain Elton ; 

the brig Enterprise, — Captain Kearny; 

the hermaphrodite brig PrometheuSj — 
Captain Finch ; 

the schooner Lynx, — Captain^ Madi- 
son; 

and a gun-boat, [sloop] — Captain Mc- 
Call. 



• Captain Madisou. when a poor orphan boy, was 
adopted and educated by Commodore Preble. He 
married Miss Houston, a niece of John Houston 
Mcintosh, Esq., of Camden county, Greorgia. Subse- 
quently, in command of the " Lynx," he sailed from 
Cumberland sound with orders to attack and disperse 
pirates who, from the West Indies, were making fre- 
quent descents along the Florida coast and in the Gulf 
of Mexico, to the great annoyance of American com- 
merce. While thus engaged, his ship foundered at 
sea and every man on board was lost. Captain Daniel 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

A considerable land-force, under the com- 
mand of Colonel Bankhead, was stationed 
at Fernandina, on Amelia island. Major 
Irvin and Captain Payne were among the 
officers then on duty at that point. 

In 1813 Gen. Lee sailed for the West 
Indies, trusting that a change of climate 
would restore his failing health, which was 



Turner and Captain Madison had entered into a pri- 
vate, friendly agreement, by which they promised to 
divide with each other the prize moneys which they 
might severally earn while employed in this special 
service. Some time after the loss of the " Lynx," — 
generously responding to this compact which he had 
made with his dead comrade, — Captain Turner trans- 
mitted several thousand dollars to Mrs. Madison as her 
husband's share of prize money. Apt illustration of 
the affirmation of the LacedEemonian king, that the 
truly brave man is always just. 

10 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

then, and had been for some time sadly 
impaired. Such were his infirmities, that 
during the war of 1812 he was physically 
incapacitated from entering the lists of the 
defenders of his country, whose independ- 
ence he had so valiantly and successfully 
vindicated in the primal struggle of the 
republic. In his retirement he purposed a 
thorough revision of his "Memoirs of the 
War in the Southern Department," and the 
preparation of biographies of his "two be- 
loved commanders, Greene and Washing- 
ton." It will everremain a matterof sincere 
regret that he did not compass the execution 
of this plan. To his "Memoirs" he doul)t- 
less would have imparted additional value 
and interest; but in their present form, 
11 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

and as he gave them to history, they possess 

the highest merit and constitute the best 

military record we possess, of the incidents, 

campaigns, characters and heroic memories ^ 

embraced within their scope. Lives of ^'' 

Washington and Greene have been carefully 

studied and well written ; but, for one, I 

freely confess to the firm conviction that 

biographies of these heroes by their gifted, 

accomplished, eloquent compatriot and 

friend, "Light Horse Harry Lee," would 

far have surpassed all others. 

The mild atmosphere of the West Indies 
and the entire repose there enjoyed appear, 
for a time, to have buoyed up his spirits 
with the hope of a return to at least com- 
parative health. While at Turks island, 

13 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

on a voyage to New Providence, on the 8tli 
of August, 1816, he writes to his son, "My 
miserable state of health improves by the 
occasional voyaging in this fine climate, 
with the sage guidance of a superior phy- 
sician to wliom I am now returning." Six 
months afterwards, he says, " My Spanish 
doctor has done me good, and sometimes in- 
spires hopes of partial restoration." During 
these years, his letters, — or at least such of 
them as have been made public, — are replete 
with the tenderestexpressionsof love for and 
interest in his sons. They afford the surest 
evidence that his days were occupied by 
studies of the highest order. The results 
of his extensive reading and reflection are 
charmingly imparted for the benefit of those 

13 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

in whose education and improvement his 
sympathies were most deeply enlisted. 

In 1817 entertaining serious apprehen- 
sions of an absolute failure of health and 
strength, he expresses his disappointment 
in not being able to secure a passage to 
Alexandria, Virginia, whither he had re- 
moved with his family in 1811 for the pur- 
pDse of educating his children. Several 
plans were formed for reaching the United 
States, but on each occasion some untoward 
circumstance occurred to interrupt his con- 
templated voyage. 

Convinced that he was deriving no bene- 
fit from his sojourn in the West Indies, and 
seemingly appreciating the fact that his days 
were well-nigh numbered, his strength al- 



14 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

most gone, he determined to avail himself of 
the first opportunity which would enable 
him to place himself under the kind care of 
the daughter of his old commander General 
Nathaniel Greene. Late in January, 1818, 
he took passage in a New England 
schooner bound from Nassau, New Provi- 
dence, to Boston; — the captain (who was 
also the owner of the vessel), promising to 
run in and land him at the south end of 
Cumberland island. This engagement was 
faithfully kept, and for the passage he 
charged General Lee not a farthing. Even 
when pressed by Mr. James Shaw and by 
some of the officers of the tleet, then pre- 
sent at the mouth of the St. Mary's river, 
to accept the liberal compensation which 
If) 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

they there tendered him, the captain per- 
sistently declined all pecuniary remunera- 
tion, alleging that he esteemed it a special 
pleasure and privilege to minister to the 
comfort and respond to the wishes of so dis- 
tinguished a hero of the revolution. 

Dungeness, — long known as perhaps the 
most beautiful and attractive residence on 
the Georgia coast, — is located near the 
southern end of Cumberland island. The 
plantation was purchased by General Na- 
thaniel Greene soon after the close of the 
Eevolutionary war. Although the mansion 
and grounds were planned and laid out by 
him, he did not live to consummate his 
intention of making it his summer resi- 
dence. The improvements suggested by 

10 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

him were carried out after his death. The 
location of Dungeness, — commanding as it 
does an extensive view of the Atlantic 
ocean, of Cumberland sound, the St. Mary's 
river and the low-lying, verdant shores of 
Georgia and Florida, — is very beautiful. 
So completely and harmoniously had nature 
and art combined their varied attractions, 
that in this charming home there was 
nothing further to be coveted, whether 
in the quiet beauty of the landscape, the 
expanse of water, the salubrity of cli- 
mate, the refined hospitality which dwelt 
within the walls of the grand tabby man- 
sion, the delights of the drive, the chase, 
the garden and the orchard, or the com- 
mingled grandeur and beauty of live-oaks, 

3 17 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

magnolias, cedars, oranges, myrtles and 
olives. 

At the time of General Lee's visit, Mrs. 
Shaw, — the daughter of General Greene, — 
was the mistress of this delightful and hos- 
pitable abode, whose charms elicited the 
warmest praises from numerous friends and 
guests who constantly sought the enjoy- 
ments of her generous roof. 
C Early in February, 1818, about four 

o'clock in the afternoon, a grandson of 
General Greene, — a lad some fifteen years 
old, who was amusing himself with boy- 
ish sports about the ample grounds, — 
observed a schooner nearing the Dungeness 
landing. Just before reaching the wharf 
the schooner came to anchor and a boat 

18 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

was lowered. A feeble old man was as- 
sisted into the boat by the captain and 
mate, who took their seats beside him, and 
the three were rowed ashore by two sailors. 
The youth had intermediately gone to the 
landing where he waited to ascertain the 
object of the visit and to welcome the guest. 
General Lee was lifted from the boat by 
the sailors, who, making a chair with their 
hands and arms, bore him to the shore. 
He was pale, emaciated, very weak and 
evidently suffering much pain. There was 
that about his appearance which assured 
the observer not only of his illness but also 
of his poverty. He was plainly, almost 
scantily attired. The sailors placed upon 
the wharf an old hair-trunk in a dilapidated 

19 



r^ 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

condition, and a cask of Madeira wine. 
General Lee brought no other baggage with 
him. Beckoning the youth to him, he in- 
quired who he was. Learning that Mrs. 
Shaw was at home, and that he was the 
grandson of General Greene, he threw his 
arms around him, embracing him with 
marked emotion. Then, leaning upon him, 
he walked a short distance from the land- 
ing place, and sat upon a log. He then 
bade him go to the house and say to his 
aunt, Mrs. Shaw, that General Lee was at 
the wharf and wished the carriage to be 
sent for him. " Tell her," he added, " I am 
come purposely to die in the house and in 
the arms of the daughter of my old friend 
and compatriot." ^ ^ „ 

30 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

There is something deeply affecting in 
this picture of the loneliness and pain, 
weakness and poverty, of this gallant sol- 
dier of the revolution. It is hard to recog- 
nize in the person of this weary, decrepit 
old man, the brilliant colonel commandant 
of the Partisan Legion, — the beloved of 
"Washington and the right arm of his im- 
mediate commander Greene, — the best 
military writer of his army, — the honored 
of Congress, — the trusted delegate, — the 
successor of Beverly Randolph as governor 
of Virginia, — the accomplished orator from 
whose lips, when pronouncing the funeral 
oration, at Washington, on the occasion of 
the death of our first president, fell that 
memorable tribute which has ever since 

21 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

found emphatic response in every patriotic 
breast, "first in war, first in peace, and first 
in the hearts of his countrymen." Shifting 
fortunes, wounds, age and disease have 
wrought sad changes, and he is but the 
wreck of former greatness ; — alone, desti- 
tute, away from home and family, and yet 
soon to be the recipient of the kindest atten- 
tions from those who know and honor 
him for the deeds he has wrought, and for 
the signal services he has rendered the cause 
of truth and country and liberty in the 
darkest hour of danger and oppression. 

Leaving him seated upon the log, young 
Nightingale (for such was the name of the 
lad), hastened to the mansion, commu- 
nicated the fact of the General's arrival, 

22 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 



and delivered his messages to his aunt. The 
carriage was immediately sent, and in it 
General Lee and his little friend rode lei- 
surely up together ; — the captain and mate 
of the vessel walking by the side of the 
vehicle. 

When they arrived at the house, General 
Lee was so weak that he had to be assisted 
both in getting out of the carriage and in 
ascending the steps. Having received a 
most cordial welcome from Mr. and Mrs. 
Shaw, he excused himself at once and re- 
tired to his room. Such was his feebleness 
that he kept his room, generally leaving it 
but once a day, and then only for a little 
while that he might take a short walk in 
the garden. Upon these occasions he al- 

23 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

ways sent for young Nightingale to accom- 
pany him. Leaning upon the grandson 
of his honored commander, — usually with 
his arm around his neck, — he would slowly 
and with difficulty descend the steps and 
then, turning into the garden, walk in an 
avenue which ran through a grove of orange 
trees. Soon fatigued, he would return to 
the house and again seek repose in his room. 
Even in these short walks he was able to 
indulge only for a week or ten days after his 
arrival. On but a few occasions was he 
strong enough to dine with the family, — 
his meals, at his own request, being served 
in his room. His feebleness becoming daily 
more apparent and oppressive, he was soon 
entirely unable to leave his room and spent 

24 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

most of his time in a recumbent posture. 
Shortly after his arrival all the prominent 
officers of the army and navy stationed in 
that vicinity, called in a body and paid 
their respects to the distinguished guest. 
When it became too great an effort for him 
to leave ' his room, and he realized the fact 
that his life was fast ebbing away, he be- 
came at times very depressed and irritable. 
The wound which he had received in Bal- 
timore caused him almost incessant suffer- 
mg. It seriously affected his bladder. 
When the paroxysms of extreme agony 
were upon him, and they recurred at short 
intervals, his exhibitions of commingled 
rage and anguish were often terrible. It 
was the strong man wrestling with tjae 

■> 25 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

frailties of the falling tabernacle ; — the 
brave heart chafing under the decadence 
of physical powers ; — the heroic memories 
of a proud and vigorous past contending 
against the feebleness and oppression of a 
painful present; — a lofty spirit revolting at 
the encroachments of bodily suffering and 
the near approach of utter prostration ; — the 
caged and wounded eagle beating against 
its prison bars, and longing for the sun- 
light and free air, the lordly plumage and 
sturdy pinions of former days ; — the dy- 
ing warrior whose strength never before 
had failed him in the hour of peril, sternly 
calling to mind his former, victories and 
refusing to admit that the outworks had 
been carried, that the citadel itself must 

26 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

soon yield to the terrible assaults of the 
last enemy. 

At such times his groans would fill the 
house and wring the hearts of those 
who watched by his side, anxious, but un- 
able to render him that alleviation which 
his vast sufferings loudly demanded. Many 
important remedies which modern ingen- 
uity and professional skill have contrived 
were then unknown to the surgeon; and 
the patient languished amid physical tor- 
tures which later medical aid could have 
materially mitigated.^ 



1 S surgical operation was proposed as offering some 
hope of prolonging his life ; but he replied that the 
eminent physician to whose skill and care during his 
sojourn in the West Indies he was so much indebted, 

37 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

During moments of comparative freedom 
from pain he would converse eloquently 
upon the political questions which had agi- 
tated the public mind and weYe still engag- 
ing the attention of the country. He was 
a decided Federalist, and avowed his utter 
detestation of all Democrats. Often did he 
allude in glowing terms to the glorious 
memories of the revolution ; and of no one, 
Washington apart — did he speak more en- 
thusiastically than of General Greene. He 



had disapproved a resort to the proposed operation. 
The surgeon in attendance still urging it, his patient 
put an end to the discussion by saying : " My dear 
sir, were the great Washington alive, and here, and 
joining you in advocating it, I would resist." — See 
life of General llmiy Lee, by General Robert E. Lcc, 
pp. 78, 79. 



28 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

was also a sincere lover of nature, and in- 
dulged in many and beautiful tributes to 
the wide-spreading sea, the charming 
groves, the flowers and the song-birds 
which filled his chamber with their early 
spring notes of joy and gladness. 

During his illness he was constantly at- 
tended by two surgeons from the fleet ; one 
of whom was Dr. Osborne of the Saranac. 
The other was the surgeon of the John 
Adams — a superior physician whose name 
escapes present memory. The officers of the 
army and navy, usually two at a time, 
sat up with him every night, ministering 
most tenderly to all his wants. Chief among 
them in his devotion around the bedside 
of the dying hero, was Lieutenant Fitzhugh. 

29 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

He was a Virginian, and, if we are correctly 
informed, a distant relative or connection 
of General Lee. Mr. and Mrs. Shaw contri- 
buted everything in their power whicl^ 
could conduce to his comfort and happiness 
and serve to keep alive the flame which 
was already trembling so uncertainly in 
the socket. In his enfeebled condition and 
irritable state it was no easy matter to sup- 
ply him with competent servants who 
would prove acceptable to him, or who could 
long endure the continued demands made 
upon them. In moments of supreme agony, 
losing his self-control, he would sometimes 
drive them from his presence and never after- 
wards permit them to enter his room. At 
length an old woman, — who had been Mrs. 

3U 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

Greene's favorite maid and who was then 
the esteemed and privileged family ser- 
vant, — was selected to wait upon him. 
The first thing General Lee did, as she 
entered his room, was to hurl his boot at 
her head and order her out. Entirely un- O 
used to such treatment, without saying a 
word she deliberately picked up the boot 
and threw it back. The effect produced 
by this strange and unexpected retort was 
marked and instantaneous. The features 
of thfe stern warrior relaxed. In the midst 
of his pain and anger a smile passed over his 
countenance, and from that moment until 
the day of his death he would permit no one 
except "Mom Sarah" to do him special 
service. 

31 



,Q 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

General Lee's sojourn at Dungeness con- 
tinued nearly two months. His feebleness 
and emaciation increasing everyday, andhis 
paroxysms of agony growing more frequent 
and longer in their duration, he became 
utterly exhausted, and gradually yielded 
to the sure and steady approach of the 
last enemy. For several days previous 
to his death it was with the greatest 
difficulty, even with the aid of constant 
stimulants, that he could be kept alive. 
His countenance and voice gave fearful 
token of the most intense agony. His 
words were few, and were rather the 
expressions of terrible pain than the in- 
dications of a desire to converse with 
those who watched around his dying 

33 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

couch. He ceased to brccath on the 25th 
of March, 1818. 

So soon as the fact of his demise was 
known, all the naval vessels in Cumber- 
land sound showed their colors at half 
mast. A similar token of respect was 
manifested at military head quarters on 
Amelia island. Arrangements were formed 
to testify, by the most public funeral honors, 
the highest regard for the memory of the 
gallant dead and a just appreciation of the 
national bereavement. Every preparation 
was made on the part of Mr. and Mrs. 
Shaw which the tenderest forethought 
could suggest. The prominent officers of 
the army and navy came over to Dunge- 
ness, with crape upon their side arms, to 

33 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

participate in the obsequies. Citizens from 
Cumberland and Amelia islands and from 
St. Mary's united in paying their respect, 
A company of infantry from the force sta- 
tioned on Amelia island and a large de- 
tachment of marines from the fleet formed 
the military escort. Commodore Henley 
was present, and superintended the last 
sad details. The full army band was in 
attendance. Captains Elton/ Finch and 
Madison, and Lieutenants Fitzhugh and 
Ritchie of the navy and Mr. Lyman of the 
army acted as pall bearers. The sheathed 
swords of Captains Elton and Finch were 
crossed upon the coffin. The officers of the 



1 See White's Historical Collections of Georgia, p. 
287, quoting from the Savannah Jiejmhlican. 



34 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

navy and Captain Payne of the army fol- 
lowed. Mr. Taylop performed the funeral 
services. 

The procession moved from the house to 
the private burial ground — distant a little 
less than half a mile from the family man- 
sion and located near the beach. While 
it was moving, and until the body was 
committed to the earth, from the John 
Adams, — the flag-ship of the fleet, — min- 
ute guns were fired. The solemn dead 
march was played by the band. At the 
grave the concluding portions of the burial 
service were read, and over it the customary 
salutes were fired by the infantry and 
marines. Thus was nothing omitted 
which, under the circumstances, could con- 



35 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

tribute to the solemnity of the occasion or 
aid in compassing the most distinguished 
funeral honors for this gifted soldier of 
the revolution, who, by his bright blade, 
had won such success and honor for his 
country, and, by his intellect and attain- 
ments, had given to history some of the 
most prominent memories of his age and 
people. 

In 1832 or 1833 a head and foot stone 
were sent by Major Lee, the eldest son of 
General Lee, through General Hamilton 
of South Carolina, and they were placed by 
Mr. Nightingale in position over the grave 
of the distinguished chief. The inscription 
which they bore was written, it is believed, 
by Major Lee. 

36 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

Sacred 
to the memory of 

Gen. henry LEE. 

of Virginia. 

Obiit — 25 March, 1818, 

^tat 63. 

Some nine years ago the question of the 
removal of General Lee's remains and their 
interment in Virginia soil was agitated 
in the Virginia Legislature. If our inform- 
ation be correct, commissioners were ac- 
tually named to superintend the execution 
of this honorable trust. The late war en- 
suing, their mission was interrupted, and 
" Light Horse Harry Lee " still slumbers 
in the family burying ground at Dunge- 
ness. 

37 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

The devastations of the last war fearfully 
invaded this beautiful home. Its pleasant 
springs are dry, its hospitable halls deserted, 
its attractive gardens and groves of oranges 
and olives frequented only by the birds of 
heaven commingling their morning and 
evening songs with the sweet odors which 
perfume the passing winds. Attired in 
their drapery of pendent moss swaying 
solemnly in the ambient air, the grand 
live-oaks, — ancient guardians of the spot, — 
bemoan the sad changes which have marred 
the peace and happiness of this charming 
abode. Silent though it be, there are mem- 
ories here still vocal. amid the mutations of 
fortune and the desolations of war ; — mem- 
ories of distinguished hospitality, refine- 

38 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

ment, culture, elegance and enjoyment; — 
memories which carry the heart back to 
happy days and peculiar excellencies which 
come not again. Not the least among 
the marked recollections of Dungeness are 
those which recall the fact that in the days 
of his supreme weakness, its generous roof 
sheltered and its kindliest influences alle- 
viated the agonies and ministered to the 
comforts of one of the greatest heroes of 
our Revolutionary period ; and, when the 
flowers of Spring could no longer charm 
by their beauty and fragrance, or the soft 
south wind bring health and surcease of 
pain to the suffering and the dying, it re- 
ceived into its hospitable bosom and folded 
in one long affectionate embrace all that 

so 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

was mortal of the gallant, the gifted, the 
honored dead. 

Closely identified in life, the names of 
Greene and Lee are in death inseparable.^ 
Shoulder to shoulder they led the armies 



1 General Greene died at his plantation on the 
Savannah river, " Mulberry Grove " — fourteen miles 
above Savannah and on the south side of the river, on 
the 19th of June, 1785. 

The following account of his funeral obsequies is 
borrowed from a Savannah journal. 

" On Monday last, the 19th day of June, died at his 
seat near Savannah, Nathaniel Greene, Esq., late 
Major General in the army of the United States ; and 
on Tuesday morning his remains were brought to town 
to be interred. The melancholy account of his death 
was made known by the discharge of minute guns from 
Fort Wayne ; the shipping in the harbor had their 
colors half masted ; the shops and stores in the town 
were shut; and every class of citizens, suspending 

40 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 



of the Confederation, and upon the soil of the 
youngest of the " Original Thirteen," hav- 



their ordinary occupations, united in giving testimo- 
nies of the deepest sorrow. 

The several military corps of the town and a great 
part of the militia of Chatham county attended the 
funeral, and moved in the following procession : 

The Corps of Artillery, 

The Light Infantry, 

The militia of Chatham county, 

Clergyman and Physicians, 

Band of Music ; 

THE CORPSE AND PALL BEARERS, 

Escorted on each side by a company of Dragoons ; 

The principal Mourners, 

The members of the Cincinnati as Mourners, 

The speaker of the Assembly, 

And other civil officers of the State, 

Citizens and Strangers. 

About five o'clock the whole proceeded, the music 
playing the Dead March in Saul, and the Artillery 

« 41 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 



ing fought their last battle, laid their armor 
by and sank to rest in kindred graves. 



firing minute guns as it advanced. When the Mili- 
tary reached the vault in which the body was to 
be entombed, they opened to the right and left, and 
resting on reversed arms, let it pass through. The 
funeral service being performed, and the corpse 
deposited, thirteen disch^irges from the artillery and 
three from the musquetry closed the scene. The 
whole was conducted with a solemnity suitable to the 
occasion. " 

The identical vault in the old cemetery in Savannah, 
in which General Greene rests is, at this day, a matter 
of uncertainty. A partial search was made for the 
coffin in 1820, but it proved unsuccessful. Although 
the precise tomb which encloses his honored dust may 
have escaped the memory of succeeding generations, his 
name and brave deeds live in the cherisned remem- 
brance of his countrymen : and grateful fellow citi- 
zens have erected m one of the high places of 
Savannah an enduring tribute to his valor and worth. 

42 



GENERAL HENRY LEE. 

They sleep where the recollections of their 
brave deeds and the grateful songs of the 
true lovers of liberty are caught up by the 
billows of a common ocean and joyfully re- 
peated in wider circles, in more heroic strains. 
The soil thus honored, is hallowed indeed. 

How sleep the brave who sink to rest, 
By all their country's wishes blessed ! 
When Spring, with dewy fingers cold, 
Returns to deck their hallowed mould, 
She there shall dress a sweeter sod 
Than Fancy's feet have ever trod. 

By fairy hands their knell is rung ; 
By forms unseen their dirge is sung ; 
There Honor comes, a pilgrim gray, 
To bless the turf that wraps their clay ; 
And freedom shall awhile repair. 
To dwell a weeping hermit there ! 



